Phyllida Law, acclaimed Scottish actress and the mother of Emma Thompson, has passed away at age 94.
Law died peacefully at home on July 27, surrounded by her family, her manager Jacky Leggo confirmed to BBC News on August 18. “We had worked together for over fifty years and she was a beautiful person inside and out,” Leggo said.
Law’s cause of death was not disclosed.
Born in Glasgow in 1932, she initially studied theater with plans to become a stage designer before turning to acting.
Her career spanned eight decades across theatre, television and film, with several projects bringing her alongside her daughters, Emma and Sophie. She notably played Emma’s mother in Alan Rickman’s 1997 drama The Winter Guest.
Emma previously opened up about their unusually close family bond, which grew after her father, actor Eric Thompson, died in 1982.
“Our relationship is unusual, and the reason is that there’s three of us in the family left now — me, my sister, and my mother — because my father died when my sister was 18 and I was 21. Pathetic! Now I think if my father was still alive, it would be very different,” Emma said.
Law was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2014. Her other credits included Much Ado About Nothing, Emma, The Time Machine, Upstairs, Downstairs and Midsomer Murders.
2026-08-19 21:45:00
